WORDS: KERRY CHRISTIANI. PHOTOGRAPH: KONSTANTIN CRONIN/SHUTTERSTOCK, ARTUR BALYTSKYI/SHUTTERSTOCK1.CaféFrauenhuber
Littlehaschangedin thevaultedinterior
of thecity’soldestcoffeehousesince
thedayswhenMozart(1756– 1791)
andBeethoven(1770– 1827)gave
publicperformanceshere.Youhalf
expect to see bewigged composers at its
tables. The kaffeehaus has always been
central to Viennese society: a place
to play cards, listen to music, browse
newspapers, eat cake and set the world
to rights. Over properly flaky strudel and
a kleiner brauner (espresso with a dash
of milk), watch a little slice of Viennese
life unfold (www.cafefrauenhuber.at).
- Haus der Musik
Behind an elegant façade, the Haus
der Musik propels you into a playful,
interactive world of music. Don’t be fooled
in t o t hin k in g t his m us e u m’s jus t f o r k id s:
you’renevertoooldto composeyourown
waltzbythrowingdice;andattempting
to virtuallyconducttheViennese
PhilharmonicOrchestrais boundto have
youin fitsof giggles.Themuseumis
s p re a da c ro s sf o u rfl o o rs,it s c o n c e r th a l l
occasionally hosting live classical music
events, including some geared towards
families: ‘Mozart and Vivaldi for
Children’, for instance (www.hausder
musik.com).- Mozarthaus
Mozart was born in Salzburg, but he was
fonder of Vienna. His love for the Austrian
capital was seeded at the age of six
when he first performed for the enraptured
Empress Maria Theresa in the Mirror
Room at Schloss Schönbrunn. Later,
he spent two prolific years at this address,
where he wrote The Marriage of Figaro.
The rooms contain scores, paintings
and hologram scenes from The Magic
Flute, providing insight into Mozart’s
work, life and vices; when not
composing, he enjoyed drinking,
swearing, billiards, womanising
and teaching his pet starling to sing.
The Mozarthaus is a 10-minute
s t ro l l n o r t h o f H a us d e r M usik
(www.mozarthausvienna.at).- Stephansdom
Just across the way rises Vienna’s
c row nin g g l o r y: S t e p h a ns d o m, it s
steeply pitched roof glimmering with
rows of chevrons. The current Gothic
building is an elaborate confection,
built during the 13th, 14th and 15th
centuries, and made a cathedral in
the 15th century. This is where Franz
Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809) began - Vi e n n a’s o p e ra
house, the Staatsoper - Conduct it yourself
at the Haus der
Musik museum
During the Classical period of Western music,
Europe’s great composers sought fame and fortune
among Vienna’s coffee houses and opera halls.
Today, the city’s love of music is resoundingly alive
In the Musikverein’s Golden Hall, expectant silence falls.
The band strikes up, and a trembling wash of A major string
motifs drifts across the audience. It is that most famous of
waltzes: Strauss’s The Blue Danube. The conductor’s baton seems
to move of its own accord to this joyous, swaying number, an ode
to the river that runs with gentle grace through the Austrian
capital. For others, the waltz conjures images of debutantes
and their beaux twirling around chandelier-lit ballrooms.
No city shaped classical music quite how Vienna did.
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the world’s
greatest composers sought their fortunes here. The Habsburg
royal family, who reigned here, were generous patrons and
passionate music lovers. It was here that child prodigy Mozart
performed; and where Schubert, Haydn and Beethoven lived
and composed some of their greatest works. Concert halls of
unsurpassed opulence were built to do justice to their talent,
each a masterpiece of architecture and acoustics.
Classical music still runs in Vienna’s blood. You hear it on
the streets, in parks and coffee houses, and wafting from open
windows. On any given night, orchestras play for some 10,000
music fans. Joining them is a golden ticket to the city’s soul.
And the concert halls are by no means a preserve of the elite.
Classical music is open to all, with last-minute standing-room
tickets costing as little as a cup of coffee. Sold? Waltz this way.^1
TRAVEL FOR MUSIC
VIENNA’S
CLASSICAL
WHIRL
29
86 August 2019